{"@attributes":{"version":"2.0"},"channel":{"title":"Science News - Mathematics, Economics, Archaeology, Fossils ","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/science-news\/","language":"en-us","description":"The latest science news on archaeology, fossils, mathematics, and science technology from Phys.org","item":[{"title":"Saturday Citations: Greenland sharks; quantum weirdness; people are mostly pretty chill","description":"This week, researchers reported that GLP-1 medications may influence the biology of aging. Hidden meltwater in deep Antarctic coastal waters has a strong climate impact. And a novel prostate cancer treatment reduced risk of disease progression by half in a clinical trial.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-saturday-citations-greenland-sharks-quantum.html","category":"Other","pubDate":"Sat, 06 Jun 2026 09:00:01 EDT","guid":"news699879140"},{"title":"Passive AI use at work increases feelings of work meaninglessness, study finds","description":"Approximately 88% of organizations around the world implemented artificial intelligence (AI) into at least one business function by the end of 2025, the latest McKinsey Global Survey on the state of AI found. Despite promised productivity gains, passive AI use at work, where employees copy-and-paste AI responses to complete tasks, can make people doubt their skills and find their work meaningless, according to a study co-authored by a faculty member from Penn State's Smeal College of Business that published in Scientific Reports.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-passive-ai-meaninglessness.html","category":"Economics & Business","pubDate":"Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:40:07 EDT","guid":"news699881808"},{"title":"Helmet hoard off Benicarl\u00f3 coast trades its Roman label for far stranger medieval origins","description":"For more than three decades, it was thought to be a relic of the Roman era. New research, however, has shown it to be a key source of evidence for understanding the commercial and military networks of the Late Medieval Mediterranean.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-helmet-hoard-benicarl-coast-roman.html","category":"Archaeology","pubDate":"Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:20:01 EDT","guid":"news699881387"},{"title":"Remote work is taking its toll on the mental health of American workers, researchers find","description":"Working from home comes with some major pluses. It's more flexible, there's no more pesky commute, work-life balance improves, and you can even stay in your pajamas all day if you want. But according to a major study of more than 580,000 American workers published in Science, remote work is taking its toll on people's mental health.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-remote-toll-mental-health-american.html","category":"Social Sciences","pubDate":"Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:20:03 EDT","guid":"news699871293"},{"title":"What makes 15-minute cities work? More nearby jobs and connected streets","description":"The concept of the \"15-Minute City\" has gained global traction as a blueprint for more livable, sustainable communities by placing daily essentials\u2014such as grocery stores, schools, restaurants and parks\u2014within easy reach of residents. The idea envisions neighborhoods where people can meet most of their daily needs within a 15-minute walk, bike ride or transit trip from home, reducing automobile dependence while improving quality of life.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-minute-cities-nearby-jobs-streets.html","category":"Social Sciences","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:20:01 EDT","guid":"news699795787"},{"title":"Most people cooperate\u2014and underestimate others' willingness to cooperate, global study reveals","description":"The study \"Homo cooperans: Understanding the nature of human cooperation\" arrives at a clear result: 69% of study participants chose to cooperate. At the same time, the study published in the journal Science shows that people systematically underestimate the willingness of others to cooperate.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-people-cooperate-underestimate-willingness-global.html","category":"Social Sciences","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 14:00:04 EDT","guid":"news699784801"},{"title":"Can fighting via text be good for a relationship?","description":"Today, many of our social interactions are routed through technology: text messages, video calls, voice messages, emails and instant messaging apps. In romantic relationships, couples often use these methods to deal with conflicts.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-text-good-relationship.html","category":"Social Sciences","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 11:40:04 EDT","guid":"news699786063"},{"title":"Charred Bronze Age teeth unlock age at death despite cremation","description":"Over 3,000 years ago, the people of Bronze Age Poland burned their dead and placed their ashes in urns, often destroying the intimate records of their lives preserved in their bones. Now, researchers have shown that some of these records can still be read, hidden in the charred roots of their teeth.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-charred-bronze-age-teeth-death.html","category":"Archaeology","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 09:20:04 EDT","guid":"news699783146"},{"title":"Short videos may hinder learning by fragmenting attention and memory, study finds","description":"Recent technological advances and the introduction of new digital media platforms have dramatically changed how people learn and source information about topics that interest them. Some recent studies have found that while browsing online or scrolling down social media platforms, users tend to spend under one minute on average on individual videos.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-short-videos-hinder-fragmenting-attention.html","category":"Education","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:40:04 EDT","guid":"news699715452"},{"title":"Stonehenge Altar Stone's epic transportation across ancient Britain detailed in new study","description":"New research by Curtin University has revealed how one of Stonehenge's most mysterious stones was likely transported hundreds of kilometers across Britain through challenging terrain, highlighting the remarkable capabilities of ancient communities.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-stonehenge-altar-stone-epic-ancient.html","category":"Archaeology","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 04:00:01 EDT","guid":"news699725761"},{"title":"Tanzania's iconic heritage sites face damage from state-backed tourism","description":"Assessment of four heritage sites in Tanzania finds that all are under threat from the institutions meant to steward them, prioritizing income from tourism over the sites' preservation and refusing to engage with community protection initiatives.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-tanzania-iconic-heritage-sites-state.html","category":"Archaeology","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 19:00:04 EDT","guid":"news699279061"},{"title":"Overarming America: Game theory explores how fear and social pressure drive gun purchases","description":"A Dartmouth College study is the first to map the interplay of personal choice and social networks that has led to the United States being one of the world's most heavily armed countries, with 120 firearms for every 100 people. The researchers describe in Science Advances how individual incentives to buy firearms can lead to a phenomenon they call \"overarming.\" In an overarmed society, the collective cost of firearm ownership outweighs the individual benefits of possessing a gun.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-overarming-america-game-theory-explores.html","category":"Mathematics","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:00:10 EDT","guid":"news699704161"},{"title":"Abortion restrictions associated with lower female medical school applicant numbers","description":"States with restrictive abortion policies saw slower growth in the proportion of female medical school applicants following the 2022 reversal of Roe v. Wade, according to a new study published in the open-access journal PLOS Global Public Health by Amrit Kirpalani of Western University, Canada, and colleagues.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-abortion-restrictions-female-medical-school.html","category":"Social Sciences","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:00:08 EDT","guid":"news699694141"},{"title":"Traditional, patriarchal Japanese terms for husband and wife may now be perceived as neutral","description":"A new study suggests that, for modern Japanese speakers, two traditional, patriarchal words for \"husband\" (\"shujin,\" literally meaning \"master\") and \"wife\" (\"kanai,\" \"inside-the-house\") may be losing their original meanings, though men in the study evaluated both traditional and neutral words for \"husband\" more positively than words for \"wife.\"","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-traditional-patriarchal-japanese-terms-husband.html","category":"Social Sciences","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:00:03 EDT","guid":"news699694202"},{"title":"Printed manga may give the brain a storytelling advantage","description":"A new study by researchers at the University of Tokyo explores whether reading manga on paper or on a tablet changes how the brain understands and remembers stories. Participants first read the opening half of a two-part manga story either on paper or on a tablet. Later, while inside an MRI scanner, they read the second half through LCD goggles and answered questions about the story.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-manga-brain-storytelling-advantage.html","category":"Education","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:00:01 EDT","guid":"news699706839"},{"title":"Mathematicians say 'don't believe hype' on AI capabilities","description":"Dozens of mathematicians signed a declaration Tuesday calling for the discipline to resist beating the drum for artificial intelligence developers.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-mathematicians-dont-hype-ai-capabilities.html","category":"Mathematics","pubDate":"Tue, 02 Jun 2026 12:40:06 EDT","guid":"news699620965"},{"title":"How a Richard Feynman formula could explain your dining habits in a new city","description":"One of the dilemmas facing anyone in a new and unfamiliar city is where to dine out. You might consult guides, speak to locals, check reviews, and ultimately, try your luck. But if you're there for a while, at some point you're going to be asking yourself whether to visit new eateries or stick to the ones you've already tried and liked.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-richard-feynman-formula-dining-habits.html","category":"Mathematics","pubDate":"Tue, 02 Jun 2026 12:20:01 EDT","guid":"news699620074"},{"title":"Britain's oldest cave art may have been rediscovered in Bacon Hole cave","description":"The oldest cave art in Britain may have been discovered, or more likely rediscovered, in a cave on the Gower Peninsula in South Wales, possibly dating back around 17,000 years.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-britain-oldest-cave-art-rediscovered.html","category":"Archaeology","pubDate":"Tue, 02 Jun 2026 11:40:01 EDT","guid":"news699613540"},{"title":"Under Notre Dame cathedral, a 'dig of the century' unearths 1,700 years of history","description":"Wilting in the summer sun, a line of tourists waits to climb Notre Dame cathedral and meet its gargoyles.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-notre-dame-cathedral-century-unearths.html","category":"Archaeology","pubDate":"Tue, 02 Jun 2026 11:08:55 EDT","guid":"news699617320"},{"title":"First deliberately injured Langobard woman in skeletal record reshapes view of male-only violence","description":"The Langobards are frequently depicted as fierce warrior-like people, with all known archaeological evidence of violence restricted to men. However, nearly 1,400 years ago, a Langobard woman took two severe injuries to the head, one a clean slice made by a blade, the other a crushing blow, making her the first direct evidence of interpersonal violence in Langobard females.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-langobard-woman-skeletal-reshapes-view.html","category":"Archaeology","pubDate":"Mon, 01 Jun 2026 19:00:03 EDT","guid":"news699542886"},{"title":"Understanding how things connect helps people invent, 1,200-player experiment suggests","description":"Our capacity for innovation, rather than being the work of random variation, is based on an intrinsic understanding of how the world works, claim Karolinska Institutet and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam researchers in a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-people-player.html","category":"Other","pubDate":"Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:20:03 EDT","guid":"news699548667"},{"title":"Thirty years at El Mir\u00f3n cave uncover 40,000 years of Iberian prehistory","description":"For the past three decades, a team of archaeologists have been uncovering some of the field's most recent monumental discoveries, relying on gut instinct, persistent hard work, and cutting-edge methods and technologies.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-years-el-mirn-cave-uncover.html","category":"Archaeology","pubDate":"Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:20:07 EDT","guid":"news699535561"},{"title":"Young and unemployed? Remote work, not AI, may be the problem, study finds","description":"The rise of remote work since the pandemic has made businesses more reluctant to hire young, inexperienced workers and is the key driver of higher unemployment rates for recent college graduates, a study released Monday has found.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-young-unemployed-remote-ai-problem.html","category":"Economics & Business","pubDate":"Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:08:12 EDT","guid":"news699541669"},{"title":"Mathematician solves origami donut efficiency challenge with fewest folds","description":"Most people wouldn't think that it would take rigorous mathematical proof to show how many folds it takes to make a donut shape out of paper. Yet, no one could quite figure it out until recently.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-mathematician-origami-donut-efficiency-fewest.html","category":"Mathematics","pubDate":"Mon, 01 Jun 2026 13:03:13 EDT","guid":"news699537760"},{"title":"A kohl bottle from York may hint at an ancient Egyptian in Roman-Britain","description":"Ancient Egyptians are often depicted wearing black eyeliner, known as kohl, which was stored in small containers. While kohl containers are typically found throughout Egypt and Sudan (Nubia), their presence beyond these areas is limited to only a handful of examples.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-kohl-bottle-york-hint-ancient.html","category":"Archaeology","pubDate":"Sun, 31 May 2026 11:40:01 EDT","guid":"news698998416"},{"title":"Saturday Citations: Failure to launch; cellular mortality; heavy weather","description":"Highlights from the last week of May, 2026: A key climate tipping point is disrupting the Arctic Ocean food chain (more of a lowlight, I guess). Scuba-diving tourism may not be the benefit to coral reef systems that we once thought, and might actually be unsustainable. And an experimental mRNA vaccine showed promising results against strains of Ebola.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-saturday-citations-failure-cellular-mortality.html","category":"Other","pubDate":"Sat, 30 May 2026 09:20:02 EDT","guid":"news699280662"},{"title":"Inside Europe's largest Copper Age tomb, children's bones expose an ancient health crisis hidden for 5,000 years","description":"Nearly 5,000 years ago, respiratory infections, possibly including tuberculosis, were ravaging the children buried at Camino del Molino (CMOL), Spain. The massive circular burial cave carved into rock is Europe's largest Copper Age mass burial, containing over 1,300 individuals, and has been the subject of years of excavation and analysis.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-europe-largest-copper-age-tomb.html","category":"Archaeology","pubDate":"Sat, 30 May 2026 08:40:01 EDT","guid":"news698927145"},{"title":"'Shoot for the moon?' Aim a bit lower, researchers say","description":"How ambitious should you be? Folk wisdom offers conflicting advice: \"Shoot for the moon,\" but also, \"Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.\" A new study by researchers at the University of Wyoming, Stanford University and the University of Colorado-Boulder used a mathematical model to show that ambition lies in the middle\u2014above average but finite.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-moon-aim-bit.html","category":"Mathematics","pubDate":"Fri, 29 May 2026 09:00:02 EDT","guid":"news699176462"},{"title":"Settling down vs. settling: New study proves being single beats a bad relationship","description":"While society often assumes that finding a romantic partner is the ultimate key to happiness, tracking relationship changes over time reveals a distinctly different reality. A massive longitudinal study proves that individuals actually experience higher emotional well-being when they are single compared to when they are enduring a poor- or moderate-quality relationship. Ultimately, while a high-quality partnership does boost overall happiness, the data confirms that settling for an unfulfilling romance takes a far heavier psychological toll than simply embracing singlehood.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-bad-relationship.html","category":"Social Sciences","pubDate":"Thu, 28 May 2026 21:40:01 EDT","guid":"news699190636"},{"title":"'Diversifying' social feeds can cut exposure to toxic content and preserve enjoyment","description":"A new study from Northwestern University and the University of Chicago offers underlying evidence that the engagement-based algorithms used by major social media platforms amplify intergroup, moralized, emotional (IME) and toxic political content\u2014and that a relatively simple redesign can reduce that amplification without hurting users' overall experience of the platform.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-diversifying-social-exposure-toxic-content.html","category":"Social Sciences","pubDate":"Thu, 28 May 2026 18:00:01 EDT","guid":"news699194161"}]}}